Byron Christopher Case is an American writer and poet imprisoned in Missouri since 2001 for first-degree murder. Case has maintained his innocence and his trial was the subject of the 2010 book ''The Skeptical Juror and the Trial of Byron Case''. Case's trial was also featured on the 2014
Investigation Discovery
Investigation Discovery (stylized and branded on-air as ID since 2008) is an American multinational pay television network dedicated to true crime documentaries owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. As of February 2015, approximately 86 million Amer ...
television show ''
On the Case with Paula Zahn
''On the Case with Paula Zahn'' is an American documentary and news program broadcast on Investigation Discovery since October 18, 2009. The program explores in-depth stories of crime mysteries and interviews with involved individuals, closest to ...
'', and on the 2016
MTV
MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...
television show ''Unlocking the Truth''.
Publications
Before his arrest and conviction for murder, Case self-published a number of essays and fiction online.
In 2007 while serving his sentence, he started to blog via
MySpace, however this was later taken down. In May 2011, several of Case's blog posts were republished in issue 27 of ''Meridian'', the semi-annual journal of the
University of Virginia
The University of Virginia (UVA) is a public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. Founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson, the university is ranked among the top academic institutions in the United States, with College admission ...
. Case's first book was a hybrid work entitled ''The Pariah’s Syntax: Notes from an Innocent Man''.
Criminal convictions
Case has been convicted of three felonies, Felony Stealing, committed in 1996 (guilty plea in 1998), First Degree Murder, and Armed Criminal Action, both committed in 1997 (conviction in 2002).
[
In 1998, Case pleaded guilty to a charge of Felony Stealing in ]Clay County, Missouri
Clay County is located in the U.S. state of Missouri and is part of the Kansas City metropolitan area. As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 253,335, making it the fifth-most populous county in Missouri. Its county seat is Lib ...
, receiving a suspended sentence and probation.
On May 2, 2002, Case was convicted of first-degree murder
Murder is the unlawful killing of another human without justification or valid excuse, especially the unlawful killing of another human with malice aforethought. ("The killing of another person without justification or excuse, especially the ...
for the shooting and killing of Anastasia Witbols Feugen, a former classmate 18 years of age and off and on again girl friend of his best friend Justin Carlton Bruton (who was considered a person of interest in Anastasia's death and who died of suicide shortly after), inside Lincoln Cemetery in Jackson County, Missouri
Jackson County is located in the western portion of the U.S. state of Missouri. As of the 2020 census, the population was 717,204. making it the second-most populous county in the state (after St. Louis County). Although Independence retains ...
, on the night of October 22, 1997. Case maintained his innocence, but was found guilty on both counts. The judgment was based upon eyewitness testimony and his own tacit admission. On June 28, 2002, Case received concurrent sentences of life without parole, and is currently an inmate of Eastern Reception, Diagnostic and Correctional Center
The Eastern Reception, Diagnostic and Correctional Center (ERDCC) is a 2,684-bed prison located in a detached eastern section of Bonne Terre, Missouri, Bonne Terre, Missouri. It is home to adult males who may have substance abuse issues or are men ...
. Case has exhausted the appeals for his conviction and has written a Petition for Executive Clemency, Non-Capital Case to Missouri Governor
The governor of Missouri is the head of government of the U.S. state of Missouri and the commander-in-chief of the Missouri National Guard. The governor has a duty to enforce state laws and the power to either approve or veto bills passed by t ...
Jay Nixon
Jeremiah Wilson "Jay" Nixon (born February 13, 1956) is an American lawyer and politician who served as the 55th Governor of Missouri from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was first elected to the governorship in 2008 and reele ...
.
Case's trial was the subject of one book in a series titled ''The Skeptical Juror'' and was also featured in episodes of two television shows: Investigation Discovery
Investigation Discovery (stylized and branded on-air as ID since 2008) is an American multinational pay television network dedicated to true crime documentaries owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. As of February 2015, approximately 86 million Amer ...
's ''On the Case with Paula Zahn
''On the Case with Paula Zahn'' is an American documentary and news program broadcast on Investigation Discovery since October 18, 2009. The program explores in-depth stories of crime mysteries and interviews with involved individuals, closest to ...
'' broadcast an episode titled "Betrayal and Regret" in 2014, and MTV
MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...
's ''Unlocking the Truth'' covered the case in 2017. In 2021, the supporters of April Wilkens
April Rose Wilkens (born April 25, 1970) is an American woman serving a life sentence at Mabel Bassett Correctional Center after her conviction for the murder of Terry Carlton and the subject of the podcast series ''Panic Button: The April Wilken ...
, an incarcerated woman in Oklahoma convicted for killing her abusive ex-fiancé Terry Carlton (Justin Carlton Bruton's uncle), released evidence dating back to 2008 that Terry Carlton and the Bruton/Carlton actually family believed that Justin Bruton killed Anastasia and then himself. Terry used WitbolsFeugen's death to intimidate Wilkens, according to her legal documents. This information was not allowed in court during her trial.
See also
* April Wilkens
April Rose Wilkens (born April 25, 1970) is an American woman serving a life sentence at Mabel Bassett Correctional Center after her conviction for the murder of Terry Carlton and the subject of the podcast series ''Panic Button: The April Wilken ...
References
External links
* http://freebyroncase.com/
* http://www.stasia.org/case_against/
{{DEFAULTSORT:Case, Byron
1997 murders in the United States
Living people
People from Lenexa, Kansas
American male poets
American people convicted of murder
21st-century American poets
Year of birth missing (living people)
21st-century American male writers